The Way I Loved You
by TweedleBugQueen
Summary: After Ron leaves a broken hearted Hermione behind, can anyone pick up the pieces and show her how to love again? A Fred/Hermione fanfic.
1. The Broken Clock

**A/N: Yeah.. Not really feeling any of my other stories right now. This one isn't really going to be very depressing or complicated like my other ones have been, trust me. It may not seem like it in this first chapter, but I have a lot planned for this story. This first chapter is pretty amature but I wrote it a while back and decided it wasn't worth finishing, but I visited it again today and decided that it was salvageable. So, when you're criticising it, just remember that it is fairly old. Anyways, onto the story!  
Enjoy! - Tweedlebugqueen(:**

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The Way I Loved You

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_"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a thousand reasons to smile."_

.

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Chapter One: The Broken Clock

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The year after Lord Voldemort's downfall, Hermione couldn't believe it. She was convinced that this was going to be one of the best years of her life, and she would get to spend it with the best guy in the world. Ron and Hermione had gotten together during the final battle. Hermione had loved Ron even in their fifth year, though you would have had a tough time getting her to admit it. When Ron showed that he cared about the house elves' safety, well, Hemione couldn't hide it anymore. She didn't think that she had ever realized just how much she loved Ron Weasley until he had acknowledged that she was a woman who had feelings. Of course Hermione would actually love him, unlike Lavender Brown, who was a cow.

The trio had been out of school for a few months now and Hermione was completely happy with the way her life was going so far, almost. Hermione really did like staying with her parents for a last summer, she felt that she had to make up for all the years that she had already been away from them, and for the one when they didn't even know she had existed. The only problem was that Hermione wanted to be at the Burrow more than at home, sometimes she found it rather selfish of herself to think that way, but the wizarding world had high expectations of her now that Ron and Hermione had run off with Harry to destroy horcruxes and ultimately the Dark Lord himself.

Nowadays you found more often than not that the name 'Voldemort' was the pun to any joke imaginable. Once, Hermione's parents had been on a muggle website and she had heard a pun to a rather funny joke. Said pun contained of the words, 'Voldemort's nipple' and once she had retold this story in the kitchen at the Burrow, Fred and George had never yet ceased in saying this whenever an opportunity knocked on their door. They had even developed a line of exploding candy whose advertisement clearly yelled in bright red ink, "Voldemort and Nipple in the same sentence? How about exploding one of your own? Buy an Exploding Nipple Pop and listen to your children scream 'Die Voldy, Die!' as it explodes in their mouth in a sensuous burst of flavor!" and of course Hermione had insisted that they cut her some of the profits, it was an easy paycheck for her since their business had been booming for quite some time.

_Tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, tic, tic._ The blasted clock was broken again.

At the moment, Hermione was preparing herself to deliver a huge emotional blow in her parents lives. She definitely wanted to move to her own flat, or at least to the Burrow. There she could be with Ron for a month or two before, finally, getting a job at the Ministry of Magic and starting a new, seemingly boring life. A boring life was the only thing expected of her though, and she wasn't really sure if that was what she wanted. Which was why she would start with an internship. Hermione Granger was only eighteen after all.

She had already spent quite some time looking at flats in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, the only reason she was considering Hogsmeade Village was because she had thought about persuading Minerva into letting her take some nightclasses at Hogwarts. She had, afterall, skipped out on her final year of schooling. Even though anyone would hire her anywhere, Hermione (being herself) would feel much better with a final year of schooling or maybe even studying abroad for a few years to get more experience with herself and her wand.

Hermione's parents were at work at the moment. Of course they had hoped that even though she were a witch, that Hermione would follow in their footsteps and become a dentist, just like they were. To their dismay, however, she had never even considered it, she wanted something much more exciting than that and they couldn't really blame her. Though they didn't think she would really consider it, they had their opinions, and they had the exact same mindset in this case, they both thought that their daughter had experienced enough adventure for one lifetime. But Harry Potter's best friend would never listen to anyone who put that thought to words in a sentence, and her parents knew it.

Summer was coming to a close, and Hermione felt a sense of foreboding in the pit of her stomach just thinking of it. Everyone expected Hogwarts' little know it all to be fully prepared for the life she was going to lead after the completion of her schooling, and even she had thought it to a certain extent, but that wasn't the case in her situation anymore. In all reality, Hermione had no sense of what she wanted to do with her life. There was once a time where she wanted nothing more than to be a successful ministry worker, but after the things she had seen there this past year she didn't think she could ever view the place the same way again, even if Kingsley Shacklebolt was the Minister now. There were many things that Hermione swore she would never see in the same light again.

From her third story bedroom Hermione could hear a car pull into the driveway of her parents' new townhome. She eagerly looked out the window to see who it was, highly expecting it to be her parents. So of course she was more than shocked to look out of her bedroom window and see a full head of ginger hair in the passenger's seat and Harry Potter at the wheel of a car in her driveway. The pair continued to emerge from the vehicle and walked to the front door.

Most girls would run to the mirror to gloss their lips and fix their hair with their wands if Harry Potter were to show up on their doorstep, but only Hermione Jean Granger would do it for Ronald Weasley instead. Once she finished doing said act Hermione Granger spun on the spot and apparated into her sitting room, thrusting the door open and throwing her arms around Ron's neck before stepping back and giving Harry a kiss on the cheek. "I didn't expect you guys until later this evening!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"We were bored, sitting in Mum's kitchen while she rambles about my dear brother Percy and his girlfriend Penelope's impending engagement really does get rather boring after a whole day's discussion." Ron informed her.

Hermione nodded, her slightly bushy hair bouncing with her head, "I can see how that would be slightly frustrating." then she flashed a brilliant smile, "I'm informing my parents that I want to move out of this house soon."

With an uplifted brow Harry looked at her quizzically, "When do you plan on doing that?"

"Tonight."

Ron ran a hand through his hair, "That's . . . soon."

"Well, yes actually, because I'd rather not live here until I reach the age of eighty-two." she reminded him.

Harry's gaze flickered between the two of them, "Is there something wrong?" she asked him.

"No." he replied and looked at his foot, which was currently tracing a triangle into the carpet, a few minutes passed with only the sound of the broken clock ticking endlessly upstairs.

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, don't tell me."

Ron shifted his weight to his other foot, "Maybe you should go wait in the car for me Harry." he muttered.

"Yeah, see you Hermione." he gave her an uneasy hug before he left the house.

"Now you're scaring me, what's really going on? What happened?"

"Nothing happened, everyone's fine." Ron said.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Than why did Harry have to go sit in the car?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "Because I need to talk to you."

"Just spit it out Ron." she laughed.

"Can we sit down?"

Hermione indicated to the sitting room, "Sure."

Ron walked past her without another word and sat on the edge of a rather bulky leather armchair, it was apparent that he was uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry that my parents don't have more comfortable furniture for you, but they don't spend much time at home." she apologized from the kitchen.

Ron rubbed his hands together in a nervous habit, "No, it's okay. I can't stay long anyway."

Hermione poked her head around the corner, "What was that you said? I didn't hear the last part of your sentence, the tea will be done in a few minutes by the way." and she retreated back into the kitchen.

"I just said it was okay, the sitting room looks nice." he lied.

"Oh yeah?" she said as she brought the tea tray in, "I thought it looked a little . . . I dunno, like my parents' waiting room at the dental office. Do you get that vibe?" she set the platter on the coffee table and sat down on the plush velvet couch.

"Why don't you sit over here? It's much more comfortable than that stuffy leather armchair."

"I think that the furniture just needs to be broken into, it's not the Burrow though." he said.

Hermione looked around, "Well, I won't be here much longer. I'm sure that my parents will be happier when I'm not here reprimanding them for making their house so . . . unhomey."

"I need to talk to you about something." he said.

Hermione pushed a mug of tea into his hands, "Drink some tea, you look kind of pale."

He rolled his eyes, "You're so pushy."

"It's one of the many things that you adore about me, right?"

He just took a sip of his drink.

"You don't have to drink it all at once, you'll get a headrush! What was it you wanted to talk to me about? Did you want me to come to the Burrow with you tonight? Because I think that my parents will still want me to stay a few more nights with them even if I'm going to-"

"I think we need a break Hermione."

She turned to look at him, "What?"

He set his cup down and ran another hand through his hair, something Hermione had noticed that he did when he was upset. "Are you serious?" she whispered.

He looked up at her with a sad expression on his face, "I'm sorry." he muttered, "I just need a break, I don't want a rebound relationship."

"What are you saying? That I'm the rebound girl from your relationship with _Lavender_? Have you gone mental? This is the best relationship either one of us has been in . . . ever! And you can't deny that we have chemistry more than just physically."

Ron got to his feet, "You might think that she's a cow, but I told Lavender that I would make it through the war for her, so that I could _come back_ to _her_ and then I went off and went with you in the middle of the battle and we shared the most amazing kiss I have ever experienced. It was like setting a fire to a dry, dead field. I'm really confused right now! Lavender and I shared more than a 'physical' relationship you know! I didn't just use her for sex!"

"I know that." she whispered.

"Apparently you don't." he said, "Because I never _did_ have sex with her!"

"What brought this on?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "This has been a long time coming, I love her."

"Don't you love me?"

Ron looked her square in the eye, "No."

"I can love you enough for the both of us!" she yelled, a single tear ran down her cheek as Ron stormed out of the house. She felt stupid even as she said it.

Before he slammed the door behind him he turned and said, "Don't send those ugly canaries after me again, because it won't do anything. Oh, and don't go to the Burrow either, that's my house."

He had driven the knife into her gut, the most horrible thing he could ask her to do for him, and it was to leave the rest of his family alone. Who was Hermione Granger without the Weasleys? Hermione didn't know.

She climbed the stairs morosely, tears pouring down her face. As upset as she was, as broken as she was, Hermione decided then and there that she would not shed another tear for Ronald Weasley. The boy had broken her heart too many times, had decided that her feelings were too insignificant compared to his own to be considered in any action that he did that might even slightly affect her. There was first year, he was found making fun of her and it had wound her up in the girls bathroom with a troll, but he had saved her from the troll as well. When she had bought Crookshanks in her third year Ronald had nearly strangled her for it, he was always hiding his rat from that cat and when the stupid thing went missing he thought that Crookshanks had killed him, but the rat had been Lord Voldemort's pet, Peter Pettigrew. In fifth year he hadn't wanted her to go to the ministry with them, and she had gone anyway. Sixth year he went with Lavender Brown and Hermione thought that it was the worst thing that he could have ever done to her, until last year when he walked out on her and Harry when they had needed him the most. But even after all of that, Hermione Granger didn't think that after they had both survived the worst war of the century that she would end up losing him anyway.

How could he have done this to her? Ron and Hermione Weasley, it sounded so wonderful to her. Weasley and her own name just rolled off of her tongue, she had thought of it most of her school years, even if she hadn't ever voiced the opinion out loud. Hermione had always thought that she and Ron were a match made in heaven, and when they had finally gotten together she had been her happiest.

She closed the door behind her slowly, letting it creak in the silent house, she didn't even walk to the window to see if he had pulled out of the driveway yet. How could he have dragged Harry into this? Just because he couldn't drive a muggle car? Ron could apparate, even if Harry preferred driving over the sensation it left the body with. He could have flooed in, except for the fact that the Grangers were muggles. Had he been out for a good time with Harry and just decided that it was in his best interest to dump her? Couldn't he have waited until he was alone? She felt horrible for Harry, he didn't deserve to be in the middle of _another_ one of their fights.

She let herself slide down the back of the door, would this affect her friendship with Ginny? Ginny was the only friend of hers who was a girl besides Luna, and Luna was never with Hermione if Ginny wasn't there too. Ginny had been the single light at the end of every dark tunnel of fighting between Hermione and Ron, she had always helped Hermione get through it, becuase she knew just as well as anyone how much of a git Ron could be. And he definitely was a git, he couldn't cut her off from her best friend, and the Weasleys may not have been blood relation to her, but they were her wizard family, if no one else was.

Now it looked as if Hermione wouldn't be moving out of her parents' townhouse for a while. Maybe if she hadn't thought of Ron as her soulmate the pain wouldn't hurt as much as it did right now. It was like someone had taken all the light from her world. All the bones in her body had gone numb and she couldn't feel anything but her heart, which was shattered into a million peices that were stabbing each other as well as trying to beat and throb all at once. How could someone live like that?

What killed her the most was that he didn't deserve her tears, which were still rolling down her face despite what she had sworn to herself. He never deserved her, Ron had always used her. He had used her for test answers, used her as a referee between himself and Harry, and used her as a punching bag for eight years.

How was it possible that the broken clock hadn't stopped yet? _Tic, tic, tic._

Hermione got to her knees and crawled into her bed,

_tic, tic, tic . . ._

she pulled the covers over her head,

_tic, tic, tic . . ._

and she let the waves of heartbreak swallow her,

_tic, tic, tic . . . ._

_tock._

_

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_

**A/N: Okay, it wasn't the best, but was it really the worst? Don't answer that hahaa. Anyway, I've decided to discontinue the following stories until further notice :****  
- A Troubled And Distant Hope  
- The Love I Never Knew I Had****  
I just don't like either of those stories anymore, and there are way too many plotholes that I dug for myself. I wouldn't recommend you read them at all. Anyways, please review!  
You know where people who don't review after they've read go right?  
I don't know either, hahaa.  
xoxo  
Tweedle(:**


	2. When September Ends

**A/N: Okay, so I wasn't going to add this story today, let alone a second chapter. But I have had it written up, and a reviewer asked for it, so here it is. It has some important details, so it's not one to be skipped. I'll share my opinion afterwards!  
Enjoy! - Tweedlebugqueen(:**

**The Way I Loved You**

.

_"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a thousand reasons to smile."_

_._

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Chapter Two: When September Ends

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Hermione Granger woke with a start. She had dreamt the same dream again, just like she did every once and a while now. She used to have the reoccuring dream where Ron left her and she fell apart nightly, but that didn't last longer than a few weeks. Hermione was a strong woman, and no heartbreak would end her life.

It had been a while since Hermione had moved out of her parents' house. She would turn nineteen on September nineteenth, and she felt that it was appropriate for her to move out of the nest and settle elsewhere, a place where she could start anew.

She had gotten a job at Florean Fortesque's old creamery, which was now a printing press for a newly developing newspaper. It wasn't controlled by the Ministry of Magic, as the Daily Prophet was. This new paper was called the Daily Harold instead, and Hermione had started an internship there. The Daily Harold was a newspaper that mainly focused on the highlights of well-known wizard families, as well as hard hitting stories on just how much the muggles suspected of the existence of the wizarding world. It wasn't a widely successful paper as of yet, but Hermione found a lot of potential in it, and she hoped that she would be able to work there for a long time and build herself up. And a bonus to working for the new press was living in a flat above it.

The flat had a lot of potential too. It was more like an apartment complex than an actual flat, but the rooms were rented to employees, so it worked out nicely. It seemed like someone had put an enlargement charm on the individual rooms (very much like the tents Hermione had stayed in during the Quidditch World Cup) that made them much larger inside than they appeared to be from the human eye. It was almost as if it were an entire house squeezed into the space of a small room.

It was still very small though, even with the enlargement charm added to it, the flat consisted of only one bedroom, an office (for writing articles for the paper) a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small sitting room. It was the perfect size for an unmarried and single intern, not a lot of space was needed. Hermione had decorated it to the best of her ability. By using transfiguration she was able to fill up the spaces with everything her parents had given her for her birthday, which still wasn't much.

The bedroom was a nice yellow color, and Hermione's old bed had been transfigured to a double bed for her age, because she tossed a lot in her sleep. It nearly filled the whole room on it's own. The dresser was underneath the window and a chair was next to it. Hermione didn't own very many clothes yet, becuase all of her clothing used to consist of oxford blouses and black skirts for her Hogwarts uniform. She still had one of every Hogwarts cloak and tie through each year at school as well and she hadn't been to buy any muggle clothing yet. Her parents had gotten her some clothes for her birthday as well but it still wasn't enough to fill her closet yet. Of course she had used a few charms to change the colors of the skirts, they weren't all black now. And she had also changed some of the blouses into jackets for work, but other than that she had to sacrifice a few pajama bottoms so that she could make a few pairs of jeans. Of course there wasn't a specific shoe you had to have worn for a Hogwarts uniform, so she hadn't needed to make any more of those.

She hadn't furnished the kitchen at all yet, other than a small wooden dinette set that seated four people comfortably. The rest of the house was almost as barren as the kitchen actually, but the office was well equipted with a desk table and chair, a muggle laptop, some parchment and quills, and an old antique clock. Hermione had also taken the liberty to buy herself a muggle music device for listening to while she wrote her articles for the paper as well. Molly Weasley had gotten her hooked forever on Celestina Warbeck and Ginny had convinced Hermione that the Weird Sisters were a great band, so she had charmed a few of their tracks onto the player so that she could be reminded of her wizard family while she worked.

The Weasley's had tried to make contact with Hermione after the break up between her and Ronald, but out of respect of his wishes she had ignored everyone but Ginny. But eventually even she was shut out of her life when she had spoken too much about how well everyone was doing and what they were doing for the summer holiday before she had to return to Hogwarts. Since Ginny had left on September first for the train Hermione hadn't had contact with anyone.

Ginny had reminded her endlessly that Ronald didn't control her life, that Hermione didn't have to listen to him all the time and that she could come to the Burrow whenever she liked, but Hermione couldn't stomach the fact that she might run into him at the house. It wasn't a slight possibility with Harry living there now.

Harry had actually been to visit Hermione lately, he had tried to talk her into coming to see Ginny and Molly too, but when he realized that it would get him nowhere but kicked out of her flat he had decided not to press the issue anymore either. Unfortunately for Hermione, Molly wasn't as lenient with her. Every week since the incident she had gotten a letter of pleading from the matriarch begging for Hermione to come to visit her. She was reminded by Molly that the Burrow was her home away from home and that no one could make her deny it. But that was a lie now, this flat was her home, and her parents house was her home away from home, or at least that's what she liked to pretend. She had started to set the letters inside her desk drawer after a while though, and now the letters came less frequently than before.

Of course Hermione wouldn't deny Molly, Ginny, Arthur, or even Percy entry into her home if they came to her doorstep asking to be acknowledged, but not one of the Weasleys had come yet. They must have thought that she didn't want to see them anymore.

It wasn't that she didn't want to, or even that she held them accountable for anything that had happened over the past few months, the only reason she didn't come around them anymore or write to them was because Ron had asked her not to. As much as she thought the request was ridiculous, it was his family and she had to respect that. Ginny was her best friend though, so she hadn't ceased writing to her, and she constantly wrote to Harry and told him to give her love to the family, which is why when she occassionally saw a Weasley twin in the streets of Diagon Alley or the Leaky Cauldron she smiled and waved back at them when they caught her eye. She still loved the Weasley family, and she knew in her heart that they still loved her very deeply, like a daughter or sister.

Work was hard though and Hermione rarely ever went into Diagon Alley. As an intern, she was hardly ever paid and had to ask her parents for money often. It was nice that her boss had offered to let her stay here for free for the time being though, and she was grateful for that. Hermione had her nose to the grindstone though, she was a hard worker and she certainly didn't want to be a lowly intern for long. She secretly hoped that they would promote her faster because of her reputation as a bookworm and a top marked student in almost every class in school, the fact that she was a third of the Golden Trio didn't seem to hurt either.

Her boss had her working on a short mystery story to improve her writing skills and it was making her grind her teeth in frustration whenever she had to think about it. Imagination was not a very stong characteristic for Hermione Granger right now, even though she was working her best to improve as much as she could. She still found it very difficult to come up with a theoretical case for a mystery. She had thought of reading a muggle Nancy Drew book and condensing it down so that it was shorter, becuase no wizard had ever read Nancy Drew as far as she knew, but she had ruled out that option when her father had reminded her that it would be called cheating if she were to follow that route.

She had come up with a very flimsy little mystery case so far and the story was that one of the Deathly Hallows had been put somewhere without being destroyed or owned by Harry Potter, but of course that was false. The Death Stick had lost it's trend since it had lost it's pattern, Harry had told her that he still had the Invisibility Cloak, and as far as anyone knew, the Resurrection Stone had been destroyed by the Death Stick and thrown into a river bed in the Americas.

She was nearly done with it, as she sat in her office admiring the work and effort that she had put into the story she thought to herself that she had actually done a good job. As she closed the story she hypothetically gave herself a pat on the back.

Hermione found her owl, Jean, sitting alone on her perch pulling stray feathers out of her wing. "Jean I don't have time for an argument, I need to have this story delivered at once." she held out her arm for the bird to land on.

Jean cocked her head and looked at Hermione suspiciously.

"What? Come here, that's right." She crooned, but the bird was still as stubborn as ever as she clicked her tongue and stayed on her perch.

She rolled her eyes, "I'll let you go out hunting early."

The bird soared from across the room onto Hermione's arm and held out her leg.

"That's a good owl."

Hermione found some string in her desk drawer and tied the envelope onto Jean's leg. The owl gave her and affectionate nip and sat herself on the window sill. After Hermione opened the window the owl soared across Diagon Alley and landed at the window of her boss' home, tapping annoyingly on the glass as she did so.

Laughing to herself, Hermione turned away from the window to get ready for the day. She found herself very fortunate to have finished her work this early in the morning, (though she had been up all night working on it so it was only to be expected.) She hastened to the bathroom where she quickly closed the door and started the shower. She washed her face and brushed her teeth while the water was warming up and soon she was under the spray and washing herself off.

Saturday was always Hermione's favorite day of the week, it was the only day that she truly had to herself once she was done working. Monday through friday she had to help assist her boss with his errands. Oh, the life of an intern.

On Sundays Hermione only had a quarter of the day to herself until she had to attend dinner at her parents house. It wasn't that she didn't like it, Hermione loved being with her parents. Hermione just felt that it was always good for anyone to have at least one full day of the week to do whatever they liked whenever it suited them best.

Living in Diagon Alley was probably one of the best decisions Hermione had made in a long time, she found entertainment in almost any shop she went to and she had many friends all over the neighborhood. One of those friends was Madam Malkin's daughter Marissa, who was three years older than Hermione, but her maturity level was much younger. It was nice to be able to feel like a teenager again (even though she was nineteen she felt like she was an adult many times over) even if only for a few hours or so.

She pulled on a sundress, put on some sandals, grabbed her purse and a shrug before she used her wand to fix her hair to a less bushy state. Then she continued to put on a necklace, grab a muffin, and walk out into the hallway.

"Good morning Hermione, how are you this morning?" her neighbor asked her cheerily.

"Nothing much Bill, just mailed off my assignment and I'm getting ready to go visit Marissa."

He gave her a knowing smile, "I hope you know that she's a bit more bouncy than ever this morning."

"That's okay Bill, I think I can handle it." she waved her farewell before walking down the hallway and down the stairs. Before she could even get to the lobby though, something barreled into her.

Hermione watched as the woman fell to the ground in a fit of giggles, "Have you taken your medicine today Marissa?"

Marissa gave her a pouting lip from the floor, "Mum says she's out of potion. She told me to get you and pick some up from the post office. It was supposed to arrive today."

Hermione leant her an arm and pulled her friend from the ground, "If that's the case, we're going there straight-away before you have another episode."

Marissa picked up her handbag, "But having an episode is so much fun," she earned an eyeroll from the younger woman.

She put her hands on her hips and Hermione laughed, "What is wrong with you today? You actually seem _happy_. Ugh."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Hermione said.

"For you, it's very abnormal."

Hermione puffed up her chest and walked ahead without comment. She knew it would make Marissa laugh, and she was successful.

As the girl ran to catch up to her she said, "Hey, I thought about setting you up on a blind date tonight! It will be so much fun!"

"As _wonderful_ as that sounds, I am going to have to turn you down."

"Aw, don't be so sarcastic! I have an amazing pair for the both of us. They're best friends, just like us! One's my age, while the other is only a few years older than you!" Marissa clapped her hands together "I know just the dress to have you wear, mother only just finished sewing it!"

"Doesn't that mean that it's for you to wear?"

"Oh you shush up! It's a late birthday present. I started making a dress for you, but I kind of messed it up, so mum mended it for me. It's beautiful!" she said.

Try as Hermione might to find a way to get out of it, Marissa would hear none of it. In her eyes, three months was quite a reasonable amount of time for anyone to get over a bad breakup and move on. Hermione just couldn't come up with a good enough reason why she couldn't go.

Hesitantly, Hermione said, "So. . . who's my date?"

As she had expected, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a _blind_ date anymore, would it?" nice, Marissa had decided to be as annoying as ever, naturally.

The girl started shaking all over, "I'm so excited for tonight, you will love me for this, mark my words!" she started bouncing on her heels and skipping up the street.

Hermione grabbed Marissa by the arm and made her spin on the spot so that they were face to face. "Don't make me confund you so that you'll behave! You are twenty-two years old, could you act like it for thirty-five seconds without needing to be brought back down to Earth?"

"Okay, honestly, do you have to be so rude? I'm just trying to do you a favor."

Hermione sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. Let's just get you to the post office and get your meds, shall we?"

Marissa beamed and linked her arm in Hermione's, "Yes, we shall!"

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can have fun."

"I thought we _were_ having fun."

"No, you're having fun, I am getting annoyed."

"Whatever," Marissa said before dragging her down the streets of Diagon Alley.

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**A/N: Okay, so as you can probably guess, there isn't much going on in this chapter. You were introduced to Marissa Malkin, who is a bubbly, vibrant, and eccentric person. Hermione is doing a lot better than some weaker characters I know who spend months getting over the person they think is the love of their life. No offense to said character. We all know who I'm talking about right? Oh well. Anyway, Hermione is doing a lot better but she's not quite over everything that happened as of yet. Next chapter should be pretty interesting! I haven't written it yet, so be patient with me. It should be easier than my other stories, which are all incomplete right now.**

**Anyways, thanks to the two readers who reviewed my last chapter:**

- jessirose85  
your reviews really made me smile. I hope that this chapter held your expectations. I know that jessirose requested a fairly different chapter, but I had already written this one. Hahaa sorry(:

**Peace and Love!  
xoxo  
Tweedle(:**


	3. Move Along

Hey guys! It has been far too long since I have written a chapter for _The Way I Loved You_ and for that I apologize. I've been working on another piece of work for some time now titled _Jealousy_ for the fandom of Harvest Moon: More Friends Of Mineral Town, a video game that I thoroughly enjoy playing and writing for, mainly because the characters are so easy to manipulate. With Harry Potter everything is so much more complex, it takes a bit longer to think through.  
So, here's the next chapter of _The Way I Loved You_, titled 'Move Along' I'm quite proud of it, but let's see what you guys think! I know of at least two of you who are actually following this story as it progresses, though many more of you have added it to your favorites. So come on and read it! A little feedback never hurt anyone either! (:  
~Tweedlebugqueen

* * *

The Way I Loved You

.

_"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a thousand reasons to smile."_

_._

* * *

Chapter Three: Move Along

* * *

They walked the streets of Diagon Alley for what seemed like forever to Hermione. After the two had finished their business at The Owlery, Hermione half dragged Marissa to the Leaky Cauldron so that she could take her potion.

After Marissa had simmered down, the pair went window shopping for a while before the younger girl informed Hermione that she needed to go to 'Madame Malkin's dress shop for a spectacular fitting!'

"No way, Jose," Hermione said, "I thought I told you no!"

Marissa laughed, "Oh no, don't you dare make me think you didn't say yes. I may have been off the wall hyper, but I remember you agreeing to go!"

"I didn't agree to wearing the dress!" Hermione moaned.

"Oh stop being such a sissy, it's just one dress. You'll live."

After that conversation, it had been Hermione's turn to be half dragged to places she did not want to be. Once they were in the shop . . . Hermione wished she had just stayed home.

Hermione decided that Marissa was the devil.

'_Oh, it's just one dress. You'll live.' Yeah right_, she thought to herself.

What kind of demon would put Hermione Granger in a midnight blue sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline?

None other than Marissa Malkin.

"I . . . hate . . . you." Hermione mouthed at Marissa whenever Madam Malkin wasn't looking.

The little devil just sat there and grinned.

This was not what Hermione had imagined when Marissa had mentioned that she was making a dress for her. It was not what she had imagined at all. What Hermione had imagined was something along the lines of a sweet lacey white babydoll dress with a blue sash and a heart shaped bodice.

Hermione was wrong.

Two hours and an awful backache later and Hermione was finally at her own home. Her new dress was laid out on her bed and she had just gotten out of the bath. Now, after having taken some pain medication for her back, she stood in front of the dress in her bathrobe trying to figure out how to make it work.

There was no way that she could leave the neckline as it was, but Marissa being the little heathen that she was had made sure that her mother charmed the dress so that Hermione couldn't alter that little detail at all. _Fine_, Hermione thought, _I'll just transfigure one of my tops to that exact fabric of undershirt. Problem solved_.

Marissa had informed Hermione that she was not going to provide shoes or a jacket for her, and that she had best pick decently. She hadn't forgotten to remind her to bring a handbag either, but Hermione was going to pretend that she hadn't heard that little remark. Handbags weren't her forte.

Were blind dates always so formal? It seemed odd to Hermione that Marissa was being awful pushy about the whole affair. Normally, one did not wear a satin or silk dress on a blind date. In Hermione's opinion, she would only ever wear _this_ kind of dress if she had a suspicion that she was going to be proposed to. So why in Merlin's name was she being forced to wear something so extravagant? Hermione didn't know.

In order to downplay the ensemble, Hermione transfigured herself a white coverup, a white clutch purse, and satin silk white pumps with adorable little bows sewn onto them. She looked in the mirror and hardly recognized herself. She wondered who the porcelain skinned, dark haired beauty was in front of her. She took her wand and wrapped her hair around it in ringlets. When she eased the wand away, delicate curls replaced the damp mess that had been there moments before.

Before Ron, Hermione had never taken the time to worry about her appearance. While she was with him, she only ever wore a little make up and kept her hair at a less bushier state. If Ronald Bilius Weasley ran into Hermione Jean Granger today, he never would have recognized her,

Her hair was a deep chocolate brown, and when they had seperated she had decided to wear it differently. She wore it long, and almost always had it in curls. When she had gotten the make over, she had impulsively told the hairdresser that she wanted 'swoop bangs' because they had looked attractive enough in the magazine. At first they had looked extremely odd to her, but she had warmed up to them recently and was getting so many compliments because of them. Many women asked her who had done her hair. When she had told them that a muggle had done it they looked at her in the most peculiar way before they hurried off.

After she had applied her make up, Hermione didn't know what to do with herself. She had an hour and a half left to her and she honestly didn't know how to spend the time. Somehow, she found herself sitting on her bed fighting against the waves of nausea.

How long had it been since she had last seen Ron? Days? Weeks? Months? It seemed like forever ago that she had seen his face, smelled his cologne, or had heard his voice. It was killing her inside.

A stronger woman would have told her to man up and get over it already. A weaker woman would have held her sympathy. Hermione was neither, she was strong, but she had her weak moments too.

Hermione had known Ronald Weasley since her first year at Hogwarts. She was ten when she met him, and now she was nearly nineteen. Eight years of friendship had gone to waste. They weren't even friends, they used to be _best_ friends. How could someone get over this kind of pain in only a few months time?

Marissa meant well, Hermione knew that much, but she hadn't been there as long as Harry and Ginny. They would have never set her up on a blind date hoping that she could just get over it. They knew Ron, and they had both been there for the long haul. They knew how much Hermione loved him, how much she still loved him.

She didn't want to feel the things she was feeling. If Hermione was a more irresponsible woman she would have attempted to drown away her sorrows using firewhiskey by now. She would have gotten hooked on the 'special potion that can take all that pain away' that had been offered to her one day while walking down Knockturn Alley. In her opinion, it was quite unfortunate that Hermione was responsible and cared too much about herself and the people around her to do something like that to herself.

Sitting there the way she was, it was hard not to feel sorry for herself. She had spent her whole life building up a strong exterior and wondered why she had let it fall apart so easily.

After a few minutes Hermione stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. This was the face that she had become accustomed to. Puffy, bloodshot eyes, mascara slightly runny, and a red nose. It was pathetic. She had completely and utterly ruined her make up. She could never go out like that.

Looking at the clock and realizing that she only had a few minutes left to her, Hermione waved her wand in front of her face, fixing the damage that she had done. Now she was date ready. At least, she was date ready on the outside.

Too late to turn down Marissa now, Hermione grabbed her wand and headed out the door.

* * *

Hermione met Marissa outside of a new club on the outskirts of Diagon Alley. She had enjoyed the walk over, but was now fighting nausea again when she realized that she was being lead to a date. Someone who lived and breathed and who wanted to see her, maybe even have a relationship with her. The mere thought of it made her stomach lurch.

"Are you alright Hermione? You look like you're going to puke." Marissa asked quietly.

Hermione squirmed at the reference, "Do you have to be so . . . eccentric?" she asked in the same hushed tone.

Marissa shrugged, "Just making sure you're well for your date."

Hermione returned the gesture, and stood in the line to wait for entry into the club.

"Our dates are already inside," Marissa informed Hermione, "They wanted their identities to be a surprise."

"Oh how lovely." Hermione murmured, though she didn't find it lovely at all.

Slowly but surely, Marissa and Hermione inched their way closer and closer to the door. Eventually, they stood before the usher for a moment before being let inside.

Marissa leaned over to Hermione in the pitch-black confines of the waiting room, "Did I mention that you will be blind throughout the entire date?"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, but as Marissa had said, she had been rendered blind, so Hermione could not find her friend's throat to throttle in the darkness.

A voice came out of no where from her left, "Hello, I am Candy and I will be your waitress this evening. Please don't panic at the loss of your sight, I assure you that I can see perfectly through the darkness and I will lead you to your designated table."

Though Candy's voice sounded trusting enough, Hermione could hear Harry's joking tone in her mind, "_Never trust something you cannot see_." Though they had been under the invisibility cloak at the time, and he had meant it as a joke, Hermione thought the sentence applied nicely to the situation she now found herself in.

A hand reached out and clasped around her own, Hermione let out a little gasp.

"Please do not worry, it's only me." Candy replied to her outburst with a calm, collected tone.

Hermione then allowed the woman to lead her further into the darkness.

"Please watch your step my dears, your chairs are right this way."

Hermione could have sworn she heard Marissa run into a table, followed by a man's voice exclaiming his protests.

"Sorry," Marissa mumbled.

The two girls eventually made it to their 'designated table' though on the way they nearly knocked over three chairs, two tables, and a serving cart which made Candy and the other server laugh quietly. Hermione hated being made a fool of.

After being carefully lead to their seats, they sat down cautiously, making sure that there were in fact seats underneath them.

"Thank you for your patience, gentlemen. Your _blind_ dates have arrived." Candy giggled at her own pun.

"No, _thank you_." a familiar voice said, it came from directly across Hermione.

She couldn't place her finger on who the owner of the voice was, but Hermione was very suspicious of Marissa at the moment.

"So how are you lovely ladies this fine evening?" Marissa's date inquired.

"Great, just smashing!" Marissa giggled. _Well_, Hermione thought, _She obviously knows who _her_ date is_. . . .

"I think I might get a bruise from the walk over here," Hermione admitted to the darkness, earning a laugh from the mysterious voice across from her.

"So, do you live around here?" she heard the man opposite her ask.

Hermione wished she could see, it felt so awkward talking in the direction of someone, rather than directly to them.

"Yes, actually," she admitted, "I live here in Diagon Alley, in fact."

"Oh, that's _close_." her date said, and she felt something brush against her leg.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Hermione shied away from the gesture, which was received with another mysterious laugh.

"It took my friend _forever_ to get ready," Marissa whined, obviously trying not to give Hermione's identity away. It made Hermione feel a little better, knowing that her date knew as little about her as she did about him.

"I'm sure she looks beautiful." Hermione's date said.

"Too bad we don't have the sight to see it," Marissa's date quipped.

A '_hmph_' was heard from Marissa's direction.

Several minutes passed by in silence before Candy returned, "Are we having a good time so far?" she inquired.

"Yes indeed, thank you for asking." Marissa's date said.

"Well that's great to hear, is there anything that I might be able to get you all?"

Hermione thought for a moment, "Water," she answered, "And a roll."

"Don't be silly, you can order more than that. My comrade and I have already decided to pay." her date said.

What he failed to realize though, was that there were two problems with ordering at this club. One, Hermione could not read the menu that Candy had given her seeing as to her sight had been taken from her. And two, Hermione would not have been able to see her food once it arrived anyway, making it pretty useless to order something that would require a fork and a knife. What if she inadvertently cut off one of her own fingers?

After making these points known, everyone asked for water and rolls.

Candy giggled, "Excellent choice." and they could hear her heels clicking away across the floor.

_Damn her ability to see_, Hermione thought. The identity of her date was really starting to bother her, especially since she recognized his voice from somewhere.

While in thought, her date must have leant towards her, because his voice was fairly close when he spoke to her next.

"Just so you know, this is as much of a blind date for me as it is for you." he said.

"That's very reassuring." Hermione answered.

He chuckled, and Hermione could hear Marissa and her own date chatting next to them.

"So where do you live?" she found herself asking.

Another chuckle, "Diagon Alley."

"Do you think Marissa planned that?" Hermione asked.

"Definitely."

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" she asked.

He was quiet for a moment, "Yes. Though I left in the middle of my seventh year, didn't think that I needed to pass the N.E.W.T.s to be successful."

Hermione was shocked, "And did you?"

"What?" he asked.

"Become successful!" she exclaimed quietly.

Another pause, "I would say so, but it depends on how the viewer looks at it."

"Do you work on Diagon Alley as well?"

He cleared his throat, he must have taken a drink, "Yes. My comrade and I work together."

"That must be fairly nice, to work with such a good friend."

Yet another laugh, "_Very_ nice. Have you ever been on this kind of blind date before?"

"No way, this would not have been my idea of fun."

"Really?" the voice sounded hurt.

Hermione thought how best to answer his question, "Not at first no, I wouldn't want to try it. But you have proved to be quite good company, and I do not regret the decision to come tonight."

"That's great!"

This time it was Hermione's turn to laugh at his enthusiasm, "I suppose so."

"Was it a hard decision?"

"Deciding to come on the date at all or deciding to stay once I knew I would be blind?" she asked.

"Either or." he answered.

Hermione lowered her voice to a whisper, "Well, it was hard all the way around. You see, my Hogwarts sweetheart dumped me only a few months ago, and I didn't think I was ready to date again. I was terrified standing out there waiting in line, but was surprised to find that I was even more terrified when the waitress lead me in."

"Ah," he sighed, "the first date after a hard break-up. I hope it doesn't hurt too bad."

"Surprisingly, no. I feel very comfortable around you."

Hermione bit her lip, fearing that she had admitted too much. But it was true, for the first time in months she felt comfortable around another male human being. Her mother and father had suggested she try dating long before Marissa ever had, but Hermione had been far too scared to try to love again. '_It's only one date Hermione, give it a chance_.' her mother had said, but they didn't understand her very well. When Hermione had feelings for someone, whether platonic or not, they ran deep. Her hatred of Draco Malfoy remained as it had in third year, unwavering. Her friendship with Ginny was just as strong as the day that it had been struck up, even if she hadn't spoken to her in weeks. And Hermione still cared for Ronald Weasley, very much, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Hermione's date remained silent thoughout the whole time Hermione had thought about this.

"Is something the matter?" Hermione asked, "What I said, did it upset you? If so, I am terribly sorry."

"No," the voice answered, "I was just thinking about how I would react if I were in your situation."

"Oh really?"

"Yes," the voice said, "I don't think I could ever get over someone I cared so much about. I admire your courage to go out and try new things. You must have been a Gryffindor at Hogwarts."

"Correct." Hermione said.

"And you sound very smart, did you get high scores on all of your tests?"

"Correct yet again."

"Hmm. . . ."

"What?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Just thinking." the voice replied.

The rest of the night passed relatively smoothly. The two couples eventually ended their seperate conversations and began exchanging humorous stories from their times at Hogwarts, their lives at home, and common friends they found that they had.

"We're friends with The Golden Trio." Marissa's date bragged later into the evening.

"Shut your mouth, you are not." Marissa laughed.

Hermione's date sounded shocked, "Yes we are, fought alongside them at The Battle of Hogwarts. It's the honest truth, Harry Potter saved my life."

"How?" Hermione found herself asking.

Her date was quiet for a moment, "I was fighting heatedly with a Death Eater who had hurt a family member of mine at a previous date. Harry Potter was fighting another Death Eater as he tried to run off somewhere. Suddenly, my opponent cast the killing curse towards me, Harry shoved his opponent in the way. If he hadn't of done that, I would be dead right now. Lucky for us, the Death Eater who had cast the spell was so shocked that he had killed a friend, that I was able to extend the courtesy to him that he had shown me."

"That doesn't prove anything," Marissa pointed out, "Harry Potter would have done that for anyone."

"That is very true," Hermione agreed.

"We've known Potter since he first boarded the Hogwarts Express. Runt of a kid, he was. Looked terrified and strangely excited to be boarding the train, almost as if he hadn't known he was a wizard before he arrived there. Come to find out later though that some horrible muggles had raised the poor guy. He didn't even know he was famous until Hagrid took him into The Leaky Cauldron. The nasty muggles didn't even tell him the truth about how his parents died." Marissa's date said.

"James and Lily, may their kind souls rest in peace." Hermione said solemnly.

"Indeed." Marissa breathed.

As the night progressed, Hermione found that she had more in common with her date than she would have originally thought. He had been in Gryffindor while attending Hogwarts as well, knew all of the secret passageways, thought that Umbridge had been a wicked woman who deserved the fate she had received (her wand had been snapped in two the second that Shacklebot had been instated as Minister of Magic, all her magical properties wiped from her blood system), he enjoyed every moment he had spent at Hogwarts, loved his work, and had supported Harry all throughout the time he had claimed Lord Voldemort's return.

She found herself becoming more and more friendly with him as the night began drawing to a close.

"Maybe you and I could go out and get a drink after this lovely date ends," her date offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you very much." she replied.

He laughed loudly, not like the chuckles he had been giving earlier that night, "I happen to be an excellent dancer."

"Ever the modest one, aren't we?" Hermione teased.

"I'm only stating fact." he countered.

The night was going so well that Hermione actually found herself looking forward to spending more time with the mysterious stranger. She hardly cared _who_ he was as long as he was a nice guy willing to date a girl like her, broken but repairable. Or at least, she hadn't cared who he was until the lights flicked on around them, revealing the identity of her blind date. Hermione nearly passed out at the sight of him.

She doubted that they would be heading off to get drinks anytime soon.

* * *

**A/N:** So what did you guys think? Who do you suspect the kind and funny, yet mysterious stranger is? I hope you have at least a good idea as to who it might be, because if you don't my foreshadowing skills need to be improved. I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, but I am feeling pretty good about it, which is hopefully good. Sorry to leave you guys at a cliffhanger, but suspense helps build up a story, right? Right. Okay, rant over. Please review. But if you don't that's okay too I guess . . . /:  
Much love,  
Tweedlebugqueen (:


	4. Breakeven

Hey all! So . . . I received an awesome amount of feedback for my last chapter! So much in fact, that I decided to hurry on up and post a new one! I wanted to keep the suspense-ness happening, but oh well. In this chapter we find out who Hermione's mysterious blind date is! Who could it be . . . ? I hope you guys already know, I tried really hard to give you enough hints. Enjoy!  
~Tweedlebugqueen (:

**

* * *

**

**The Way I Loved You**

.

_"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a thousand reasons to smile."_

.

* * *

Chapter Four: Breakeven

* * *

"_Hermione_?" her date exclaimed.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no. I have _got_ to get out of here_, she thought to herself.

Marissa looked between the man and Hermione, "You two know each other?"

Hermione's vision was becoming blurry, she rubbed her eyes and did a double take, literally. There were two personages standing before her and Marissa, and they looked exactly the same.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she mumbled.

Marissa's date sounded affronted, "Well there's no need to be rude about it Hermione!"

She didn't care if she was being rude, she was one step short of her worst nightmare. How could Marissa have done this, she _knew_ that Hermione's ex was Ron _Weasley_! Hadn't the surname stuck out to her at all? Hermione didn't know if she would ever forgive her for this.

"Hermione say something." her date begged.

Red, everything had turned red, it was all she could see, it stained her vision. Two heads of flaming red locks stood before her. _Successful_? she thought, _Damn straight he's successful_!

There was a joke shop located on Diagon Alley, a very popular one among the kids who attended Hogwarts and even some of their jokester parents. Harry had helped financially support it. _Of _course_ they're friends with Harry, I could've told you that myself_!

The room was spinning, Hermione couldn't stand straight, she could feel herself swaying on the spot. "Please don't pass out." Marissa said to her. Marissa, the one who had arranged this horrible evening.

Hermione managed only three words before she blacked out, "I hate you."

* * *

It was only a few moments later that she felt a cool breeze on her face.

_Where am I_?_ It must have been a dream, a horrible nightmare_. she thought to herself.

If only she were so lucky.

"Hermione, wake up." she heard him whisper in her ear.

She clenched her eyelids closed, there was no way she was opening them until he left.

A sigh, "Come on, it's only you and me. George took Marissa home."

George. So her date had been Fred, Fred Weasley. Hermione could barely breathe.

"Where am I?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"Your house."

"How did we get here?"

"Apparition."

That was enough to shock Hermione awake, "You apparated me here while I was _unconscious_? Do you even understand how dangerous that is?"

Fred smiled a little, "You didn't really leave me with much of a choice, fainting in the middle of the club like that."

"Well, excuse me. I hadn't really anticipated for _you_ to be my date!" she shrieked back.

His face fell a little, "I am so sorry about that, we wouldn't have agreed to it if we knew that you would be the other date. Marissa assured us that it was someone we knew . . . but also someone who would enjoy our company."

"I enjoyed your company." Hermione protested.

"Did you?"

She thought for a moment. She had enjoyed Fred and George's company, they had certainly gotten her mind off of Ron. Ron, their _brother_.

"I am going to smother Marissa in her sleep."

"What?" Fred choked out.

Hermione hit her head against the wall, they were in her sitting room. She had never wanted to have another Weasley besides Ginny in her room. Well that vow was shot to Hell.

Fred was sitting next to her, propped on the same wall that she was. He was fiddling with a button on his oxford shirt at that moment, trying to avert her gaze.

Suddenly, Hermione felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Fred actually did feel bad about the whole ordeal, and she was being extremely rude and insensitive about it. How could she treat him that way? He wasn't the one who had arranged the date, he hadn't even known that she was there. He wasn't the one who had broken her heart.

"I'm sorry she murmured. I'm not being fair to you." she pulled her knees close to her face and buried her head in her arms. She was sure that she looked pathetic, but she didn't care.

"S'okay." he mumbled back.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, Hermione wallowing in self pity and despair, Fred calmly sitting beside her, waiting for her to speak.

"She's been asking about you, you know." he said.

"Who?"

"My mum." he said miserably.

Hermione just sat there silently. Mrs. Weasley had been asking about her? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Hermione had almost been certain that the woman hated her now that she and Ron were through. Perhaps she had been wrong. . . .

"She was . . . asking about me?" Hermione said cautiously.

She peeked a glance at him and saw him nod, he wasn't looking at her, just staring off into space. "Mum knows you live on Diagon Alley, she asked George the other day if we've ever seen you. He told her we hadn't. She's been worrying about you, wondering how you're handling things, that is."

"Lie."

Another pause, "What?"

Hermione began to cry, silent tears that shook her shoulders and made her sick. She was crying in front of Fred Weasley, "Lie to her next time you see her, tell her I'm handling things really well. Maybe even throw in a fake relationship while you're at it. Then she might be able to properly hate me."

"Hate you?" he sounded shocked, "Why ever would she _hate_ you?"

"Because Ron and I are no longer seeing each other." she whispered, hating to admit that things were over between them.

"Ron ended his relationship with you, we didn't."

A long, uninterrupted silence.

"We?" Hermione asked.

"My family and myself. The Weasleys still care about you Hermione, whether Ron wants to pursue anything with you or not. You've actually given Ginny the impression that _you_ hate _us_. I can see now that she was wrong."

"I've never hated any of you. _Any_ of you."

Fred thought about that for a second, "You don't hate Ron?" he asked.

"I probably should . . . but he was one of the best things that ever happened to me, as strange as that sounds."

"You know, I might not be able to ease the pain, but . . . sometimes things like this are supposed to happen, to make room for better things to take place."

"How is it better for me if Ron is gone?" she whispered, more to herself than to Fred.

She didn't wait for him to answer her, "I suppose he's alright with Lavendar. He's sleeping well throughout the night, content with everything he has. It probably hasn't even occurred to him that I might still be a wreck, unable to stop thinking about him for even a moment, that I might have become a journalist only to leave my parents behind. I couldn't live there any longer, not under their watchful eyes and their gazes full of pity. It made my mother worry endlessly, hearing me cry myself to sleep, it took a toll on her. I couldn't live like that anymore, so I left. This job doesn't give me any real joy.

"But day in and day out, I go to work, try my best to be competant. I wonder why I don't curse his name. I fall to pieces when no one is looking, but no one ever suspects it. Hopeless, it's the single word that you would not expect from me. Hermione Granger, falling to pieces? That can't be possible. She's strong, she is smart. Ron Weasley, what is he to her? They were friends, right? Nothing more had ever happened between them. It's the facade that I have to live by. If anyone knew the truth . . . I would no longer be the strong heroine that this world knows me as. I am a strong-willed witch who shows women that it's okay to do a man's job. None of them know . . . they will never know. . . ." she was cut of by the sobs escaping her chest.

A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her, letting her know that it was okay to feel what she was feeling. Hermione Granger had never felt more grateful to any human being than she did in that moment. Hardly caring that it was Fred Weasley's shoulder that she was crying on, she let herself fall apart.

What possessed him to care? She didn't know. Fred and George were the pranksters of the Weasley clan, why would they care what emotional trials Hermione was going through with their brother? Technically, she wasn't going through her troubles with Ron though, she was going through them alone, without him. He was home with his Lavendar now, he was happy. He didn't give a damn whether or not Hermione was falling apart in his brother's arms or not, and that's what hurt the most.

"Shh, it's okay." Fred tried to soothe her, which only made Hermione cry harder.

Hard enough that she eventually fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

Hermione woke hours later in her own bed. She laid there for a few moments, mulling over the events of the night before. She had let Marissa take her on a blind date, that blind date had turned out to be Fred Weasley, and he had brought her home after she fainted in the club and let her cry on his shoulder until she finally fell asleep while clinging desperately to him.

For some reason, Hermione wasn't ashamed of herself, though she was a little embarassed that she had fallen asleep before having had the chance to apologize to him personally. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she wondered where he had gone after carrying her to bed.

Fred Weasley had carried her to bed.

She smiled at the thought of his kindness, he was the complete opposite of Ron.

_Ron_, she inwardly moaned.

A few moments passed by, Hermione lay in her bed trying to clear her mind of all thought. Fred had probably gone to the joke shop by now, it was light behind her drawn curtains.

He had drawn her curtains?

She tried to pull her thoughts together. Today was a saturday, she didn't have to report for work. Glancing at the clock, she was grateful. If she had to have reported for work today, she would have been two hours late, it was ten o' clock in the morning.

Wait, had Fred turned off her alarm?

Hermione sat herself up in bed, realizing something.

She was clad in her warmest, fuzziest pajamas, Someone had changed her out of her dress, someone had taken her hair down, someone had laid out her clothes from the previous evening on the armchair in the corner of her bedroom.

And that someone was Fred Weasley.

Confused, Hermione looked around her room. It didn't even look like it had been disturbed by the move from the sitting room the her bed.

She pulled back the sheets and crossed the room to pull on her bathrobe and slippers. She was still exhausted, though she didn't know what from. And when she went out into the sitting room on her way to get some coffee she stopped, amazed.

Fred Weasley was fast asleep on her couch.

* * *

**A/N:** Dun, dun, dun! So . . . Fred Weasley eh? Bet you saw that coming, hahaha! (:  
So I know that Hermione is still being a bit of a baby in this chapter, but she hasn't really been able to cry on anyone's shoulder yet. She needed someone to be there for her no matter what, so I made it so. Fred really is a sweetheart isn't he? I believe so. Plus, I just love him too much to kill him in my mind. Sorry Jo, but that's one thing that I completely disagreed with when you wrote _Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows_. I can't help it, Fred is my favorite character. Figures.  
So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, looks like my feeling turned out to be a good one afterall! I hope that you're all pumped for the next installment! Peace yo.  
Tweedlebugqueen (:


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